The body is retro cool, from the diamond-plate corners to the chrome-plated front bumper. Other vintage aspects include the 3-inch rollcage wrapped in foam and black tape and the trail rack on the rear. A pre-'60 split windshield was added, but '72-and-later front sheetmetal was added along the way to provide 3 extra inches of room for the LT1 engine. The interior is totally bare bones, with minimal knobs and gauges and a tach mounted on the transmission hump. TJ flares were installed in the rear to accommodate the stretched wheelbase and keep the tires covered on the road-a modern addition to appease the local law.
With an LT1 V-8 under the hood, lockers in both ends, and gobs of suspension travel, wheelbase is the only thing holding this Jeep back on the trail. Even stretched to 92 inches, the short wheelbase and overly tall lift limit the CJ-5 during high-speed trail running and steep rockcrawling ascents. Getting to remote hunting and fishing locations is no longer an issue, though.
If this same suspension and drivetrain were on a TJ, I probably wouldn't have even looked at it twice. The fact that it's a CJ-5 appealed to me, though-plus, it still retains many parts and pieces that were popular 10 or more years ago. Rather than just buying a new Jeep and dumping a bunch of money into it, Randy took his old Jeep and dumped a bunch of money into it. It's hard to rationalize, but somehow that just makes it so much cooler.-Harry Wagner
Vehicle:
'63 CJ-5
Engine:
LT1 350 small-block V-8
Transmission:
T-18
Transfer Case:
Dana 20
Suspension:
Triangulated four-link, front and rear
Axles:
Dana 44 (front), Ford 9-inch (rear)
Wheels:
15x8 American Racing aluminum
Tires:
35x12.50R15 BFGoodrich Mud Terrains
Built For:
Hunting and fishing/nostalgia